Articles
Gracious and Merciful
When Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites after worshiping the golden calf, he asked God to show him His ways and to remain amongst His people (Exodus 33:12-16). God replied, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name. I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
God saying that He will have mercy and grace on whom He chooses sounds as though He is arbitrarily passing judgment on people. While God is the Almighty and can do as He pleases, He isn’t trying to convey that sentiment. God told Moses that he had His favor. Thus, He will show mercy because he asked. He will then show Moses grace and proof that His presence will be amongst the people by letting him see His glory. Since His glory is more than humans can handle, God promised to protect Moses so he doesn’t die. Exodus 34 records that God did as He promised and renewed His covenant with the Israelites allowing Moses to remake the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Moses would also have to veil his face after talking with God because his skin would shine from His powerfully radiant glory.
Similar to the Israelites, we had a person intercede on our behalf, God’s son Jesus. Hebrews 9:14-15 reads, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” God has shown us His unbounded grace and mercy by allowing us to repent and be baptized at the cost of His son. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Unlike with Moses, God’s children today won’t be conversing with God face to face and have their skin shine. However, we can still shine because God’s presence isn’t just amongst us, it’s in us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that our bodies are temples for God’s Holy Spirit because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. All of us were bought at a price. Therefore, let’s all do our best to flee from sin and bring glory to God by letting His light shine through us!
